install a screen door on a submarine
- idiom
- Informal
:
intentar lo imposible
- Any effort to repair the ancient plumbing felt like installing a screen door on a submarine.
Examples
-
He knew arguing with his boss about the new policy would be like installing a screen door on a submarine.
-
Trying to convince him is like trying to install a screen door on a submarine.
-
Trying to teach my stubborn dog tricks is just installing a screen door on a submarine.
-
It's pointless to install a screen door on a submarine!
-
Any effort to repair the ancient plumbing feels like installing a screen door on a submarine.
-
He knew that arguing with his boss about the new policy was just like installing a screen door on a submarine.
-
Trying to teach my stubborn dog new tricks is just like installing a screen door on a submarine.
Antonyms
How Impossible
- Informal
- Informal
12
7.2
- Informal
3
7.2
- Informal
58
4.6
91
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
install + a + screen + door + on + a + submarine
The meaning 'attempt something that is obviously pointless or impossible' is directly inferable from the literal constituents: a screen door (which lets air through) placed on a submarine (a vessel designed to be submerged) creates an obviously impractical, incongruous image. This visual/compositional absurdity maps straightforwardly to futility and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows the component words.
Etymology
Install a screen door on a submarine creates a simple image: imagine fitting a screen door—a door with many holes—onto a submarine that must keep water out. That's why the phrase means 'to attempt something obviously pointless or impossible to achieve'.